Dental handpiece

Abstract

A dental handpiece having a head comprising a headshell and an arm portion comprising an upper body and a lower body is presented. The head rotatably couples to the upper body, and the upper body pivotally couples to the lower body. An air turbine or a gear assembly may be included in the headshell whereby a dental bur attached to the air turbine or gear assembly protrudes from the headshell. In the case of using an air turbine, flexible tubing provides fluid to spin the air turbine, thereby rotating the bur. Alternatively, a flexible shaft may connect the gear assembly to a rotary source to communicate rotary motion to the bur.

1 . A dental handpiece, comprising:
 a head comprising a headshell; and   an arm portion comprising an upper body and a lower body,   wherein the head rotatably couples to the upper body.   
     
     
         2 . The dental handpiece of  claim 1 , wherein the upper body pivotally couples to the lower body. 
     
     
         3 . The dental handpiece of  claim 1 , wherein the headshell comprises:
 an air turbine comprising a rotor and blades to spin in response to a fluid impingement on the blades, the blades disposed on the rotor to intercept a fluid flow; and   a bur detachably coupled to a center portion of the air turbine to protrude from the headshell.   
     
     
         4 . The dental handpiece of  claim 3 , further comprising:
 a fluid channel body disposed in the headshell and comprising an input channel and an exit channel; and   a bulkhead disposed in the upper body and comprising an inlet channel and an exhaust channel,   wherein the fluid flows through the inlet channel, the input channel, the exit channel, and the exhaust channel and impinges the blades of the air turbine during the flow.   
     
     
         5 . The dental handpiece of  claim 4 , further comprising:
 an first tube coupled to the inlet channel; and   an second tube coupled to the exhaust channel,   wherein the fluid flows from the first tube and exhausts through the second tube to spin the air turbine in a first direction;   
     
     
         6 . The dental handpiece of  claim 5 , wherein the fluid flows from the second tube and exhausts through the first tube to spin the air turbine in a second direction. 
     
     
         7 . The dental handpiece of  claim 5 , wherein the first tube and the second tube comprise a flexible material, the fluid channel body rotates with the headshell, and the bulkhead remains stationary with the upper body under rotation of the headshell. 
     
     
         8 . The dental handpiece of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 an outer sealing member disposed between the fluid channel body and the bulkhead; and   an inner sealing member disposed between the fluid channel body and the bulkhead,   wherein the outer sealing member is arranged proximal to a peripheral edge of the fluid channel body, and the inner sealing member is arranged proximal to the center of the fluid channel body; and   wherein the outer sealing member and the inner sealing member form a seal between the fluid channel body and the bulkhead.   
     
     
         9 . The dental handpiece of the  claim 8 , further comprising:
 a ball-and-socket joint to pivotally couple the upper body and the lower body of the arm portion.   
     
     
         10 . A dental handpiece, comprising:
 a head comprising a headshell;   an arm portion comprising an upper body rotatably coupled to the headshell and a lower body pivotally coupled to the upper body;   a gear assembly disposed in the headshell;   a bur detachably coupled to a center portion of the gear assembly to protrude from the headshell; and   a flexible drive shaft disposed in the upper body and the lower body and detachably coupled to the gear assembly to communicate rotation to the bur.   
     
     
         11 . The dental handpiece of  claim 10 , wherein the gear assembly comprises a head bearing to which the bur detachably couples and a drive pinion coupled to the head bearing, and the flexible drive shaft comprises a crown wheel gear to detachably engage the drive pinion, and
 wherein the flexible drive shaft couples to a rotary source to communicate a rotary motion to the bur.   
     
     
         12 . A dental handpiece, comprising:
 a head comprising:
 a headshell; and 
 a stem connected to the headshell; 
   an arm portion comprising an upper body rotatably coupled to the head;   a retainer to affix the head to the arm portion; and   an adjustable member disposed in the arm portion,   wherein the adjustable member engages the stem in a first position and disengages the stem in a second position.   
     
     
         13 . The dental handpiece of  claim 12 , wherein the head rotates with respect to the arm portion with the adjustable member in the second position, and the head does not rotate with respect to the arm position with the adjustable member in the first position. 
     
     
         14 . The dental handpiece of  claim 13 , further comprising a spring to maintain the adjustable member in the first position so that the head does not rotate with respect to the arm portion. 
     
     
         15 . The dental handpiece of  claim 13 , wherein the stem comprises at least one notch to engage a complementary notch pattern arranged in the adjustable member, wherein the head does not rotate with respect to the upper body with the at least one notch engaged with the complementary notch pattern, and the head rotates with respect to the upper body with the at least one notch disengaged from the complementary notch pattern. 
     
     
         16 . The dental handpiece of  claim 14 , further comprising a fastener to retain the spring in the upper body,
 wherein the adjustable member comprises a stop to contact the spring, the spring seats against the stop at a first end and seats against the fastener at a second end, and the upper body maintains the position of the fastener.   
     
     
         17 . The dental handpiece of  claim 12 , further comprising a lower body pivotally coupled to the upper body; 
     
     
         18 . The dental handpiece of  claim 12 , wherein the headshell comprises a receptacle to receive a bur. 
     
     
         19 . The dental handpiece of  claim 12 , wherein the upper body comprises an opening disposed between a first end a second end of the upper body, the adjustable member comprises a projection, and the projection extends from the adjustable member and is arranged in the opening to translate between the first position and the second position. 
     
     
         20 . The dental handpiece of  claim 15 , wherein the stem further comprises a receiver portion disposed between the at least one notch and the headshell, and the retainer contacts the receiver portion to rotatably affix the head to the arm portion.